Known valve-lash-adjusting elements, which may be designed as a standard, free-ball or reverse-spring version, have, inter alia, a plunger, with a plunger head which has a central bore, on the outer end of which the valve seat of a control valve is provided, this valve seat being controlled by a valve ball, the ball travel of which is limited by a valve cap which has a cap flange and a cap base, the cap flange resting with its bearing surface on a recess of the plunger head, and the inside of the valve ball serving as a stop surface.
Such valve-lash-adjusting elements have the disadvantage that, due to process-related production tolerances which cannot be narrowed further, considerable spread of the ball travel occurs and, as a consequence thereof, corresponding pre-travel losses of the valve-lash-adjusting elements occur. These have a varying effect depending on the tolerance zone position of the ball travel during cold starting or in the high-temperature phase of the internal combustion engine. During the cold starting, average to large ball travel is desired, and small to average ball travel is desired in the high-temperature phase. Accordingly, closely toleranced, average ball travel is the ideal compromise.